DEAR ABBY: In recent years, when I befriend women, we start off having things in common (husband, children). Then these women lose all other interests and talk about nothing else. I have a wide range of interests (sports, travel, work, church -- you name it), and I'm willing to listen and learn.
Abby, I have never met these women's families and I am so tired of hearing their children's names that I'm starting to distance myself. I have dedicated most of my life to my husband and raising my children. I do not want to spend the rest of it talking about them. How do I handle these ladies? -- STARVED FOR STIMULATING CONVERSATION
DEAR STARVED: Birds of a feather flock together. If you want stimulating conversation, you will have to find another flock to fly around with. Sign up for classes at a local college, join a political campaign, volunteer at a hospital, join a group that helps the less fortunate, go to a museum. Do this and I assure you, you will meet others whose interests more closely match yours.